


fives kisses

by icarusinflight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Getting Together, Kisses, M/M, Pining, pre-kerberos pining, sleepy keith, why do I always write about sleep?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 06:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13676142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icarusinflight/pseuds/icarusinflight
Summary: The first time Shiro kisses Keith it’s not actually intentional.They’re not dating, and it’s not a romantic kiss, but it still stands out in Shiro’s memories as the first time I kissed Keith. Which is probably a little strange - he can admit that to himself - but he still treasures the memory nonetheless.Five kisses between Shiro and Keith





	fives kisses

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a gift for Jammy - [caomeiart](http://caomeiart.tumblr.com//) who wanted _Shiro or keith giving kisses to the other (eg butterfly kiss/eskimo kiss/ normal kissing is fine too)_ I hope this fulfils your desire for kisses!

The first time Shiro kisses Keith it’s not actually intentional.

They’re not dating, and it’s not a romantic kiss, but it still stands out in Shiro’s memories as _the first time I kissed Keith_. Which is probably a little strange - he can admit that to himself - but he still treasures the memory nonetheless.

Even if the kiss had only happened because Keith had been hurt.

He’d heard the noise from down the corridor, the telltale sounds of a fight - there’s just something about the _tone_ of yelling, something about the way all the voices join in together which is unmistakable. At first he was going to ignore it - but as he turned to return back the way he came from, he remembered his first year, when he’d get just as caught up in the excitement of a fight as the rest of them. With all the competitiveness and teenage emotion flying around it had happened more than once, and Shiro is less than proud to say he’d stood around cheering with the best of them, had punched back when someone from one of his classes had come after him with fists swinging over a perceived slight on the simulators. He’d been lucky on those occasions - as had most of them - but only because Senior cadets had found them first, breaking up the fight before any of the instructors could find them.

The reminder makes him reevaluate his plan of action, it seems unfair to leave the fight to escalate or to leave the students to be found by the instructors - even if they have earned the consequences they would face from that. He figures it’s his turn to pay it back now, do for other students as was once done for him. Bracing his shoulders, he takes a deep breath and steels himself for the confrontation. He rounds the corner intent on breaking it up and putting some fear into the students - try to break this fight up and make them reconsider their actions next time as well.

He squares his shoulders, and walks straight through the small but concentrated crowd. He tries to use his most authoritative voice when he says, “Right what’s going on here?”

It must work at least a little bit, because the voices stop immediately, and the crowd parts, allowing him to see the two cadets standing facing each other, one of them holding a hand up to his nose, blood leaking onto his fingers, and the other student -

Is Keith.

“Break it up cadets.” His voice comes out even harsher than he means it to, and both sets of eyes shoot towards him. Keith looks surprised, and he drops his fists from the guard position. Shiro takes a moment to appreciate that Keith’s fighting stance was - of course - perfect, before he tears his gaze to the other cadet. “You two, stay here, everyone else be out of here before I finish with them or you’ll all be reported for inciting violence.”

There’s a rustle of movement, as everyone races to clear out, scattering away from the scene of the crime. He ignores Keith, walking up to the other guilty party.

“Show me,” he commands. The cadet - he thinks his name is boringly normal - Jones or Smith or something like that, he really should remember it - takes his fingers away from his nose slowly, wincing as he does so. The nose is swollen, and his eye is too, but other than the nose he’s not bleeding. He thinks it's just bleeding - not broken, but better to be safe than sorry.

“You’ll need to go to the medical clinic,” Shiro tells him, before looking over his shoulder at Keith. Since he last looked at Keith it’s almost like he’s shrunk down a size, folding in in himself, his hands by his sides, bunching into a hold at his own uniform. Shiro torn at the sight. He wants to console him, he wants to hug him and tell him it’ll be okay, he wants to yell at him for his stupidity. Instead he says, “You’re coming too.”

When they arrive Shiro leaves Keith at the door while he ushers the other cadet in, who announces himself as Johnson. Shiro tells the attendant Byron - Shiro remembers that name of course, he’s had more than his fair share of run ins with Byron - that the injury happened during a training mishap, and while there’s no chance Byron believes that judging by the look he shoots Shiro, but he’s willing to play along, and he’ll give Johnson the medical attention he needs. Satisfied that he’s done all he can for that situation, Shiro leaves Byron to Johnson.

Which leaves him Keith.

Shiro walks back out to where he left Keith, standing beside the medical bay door. Shiro’s not expecting Keith to have left, but he’s still relieved to find Keith waiting for him, still standing exactly where Shiro left him. Keith is standing in front of the wall, hands still twisted into his uniform. There’s blood on them, Shiro notices, and some of it’s rubbed off onto his uniform.

Shiro releases a frustrated sigh, and leans back against the wall, resting his head on the wall and, closing his eyes to block out the sight for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, he thinks of his own basic first aid training. _Assess the situation. Check the injury. Arrange for further medical attention._ He’s barely moved past Step One for Keith.

Opening his eyes he looks back at Keith, once again taking in Keith’s appearance, the blood on his hands, the loose fists - his hands are probably already swelling up. _Check the Injury_.

“Does that need medical attention?” Shiro asks. His anger has left him now, he just feels tired, concerned, and a little frustrated at the whole situation. Keith isn’t looking at him - his eyes locked on a position just beyond Shiro’s shoulder, but he shakes his head at the question.

Shiro sighs again.

“That was really stupid,” Shiro tells him. He needs to say it, needs to tell Keith, even if he knows it won’t make any difference. He’s not naive enough to think that will stop Keith from getting into fights in the future - but he has to say it still. “You could of got into serious trouble Keith.”

Keith doesn’t respond to that, doesn’t acknowledge the words, the only reaction Shiro sees is a twitch of his mouth and his fists squeezing into tighter balls at his sides. A part of Shiro wants to yell, wants to force the situation, but he also knows how ineffective that will be at actually getting a response from Keith - the only thing it would succeed in doing is pushing Keith further away - something he wants even less than the painful silence he’s currently enduring.

He needs to do something though.

“Come on then,” Shiro says, pushing away from the wall. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Shiro pushes off from the wall, walking in the direction of his dorm, hoping that Keith will follow, but he’s not going to force the issue. He’s still relieved when he hears the sound of footsteps following behind him. He doesn’t look back at Keith, just takes the most direct route to his dorm. When they reach the room, Shiro holds the door open for Keith, before stepping through himself, closing the door behind him, and twisting to engage the lock so they won’t be disturbed.

“Take a seat,” he instructs Keith, before heading to his bathroom. He keeps a small first aid pack in the bathroom, and he grabs that, turning on the water and waiting for it to run hot before wetting a cloth under the stream.

When he returns to the bedroom Keith is sitting on the bed hands clasped on his knees, yet again wrinkling his uniform with the tight hold on the material. It’s something that Shiro has noticed before - when Keith is struggling with something, if he’s stressed he’ll take hold of something, either fiddling with the item or just holding it tight between his fingers.

“Let me,” Shiro says gently, taking hold of Keith’s left hand and easing it from the material, before cleaning it off. The knuckles are scraped, a few abrasions, but otherwise unharmed; he smears the antiseptic ointment over the scratches anyway - the last thing Keith needs is a painful infection on his hands. He follows with Keith’s right hand, smearing the ointment over the broken skin there.

Shiro hesitates to release Keith’s hand back to him, keeping the warmth for just a moment. When the thought occurs to him he doesn’t hesitate to act on it, dropping his head down to place a kiss just above Keith’s knuckles before releasing the hand. Keith’s hand yanks back immediately, and he folds his arms up, tucking his hands away and likely smearing the ointment in the process.

“There,” Shiro says, ignoring the heat he can feel in his cheeks, and trying to pass it off as an innocent act, “all better.”

When he does finally look up Keith’s flushed cheeks look like Shiro’s feels, but when Shiro smiles tentatively, it only takes a moment before Keith echoes that too.

* * *

 

The second time Shiro kisses Keith it’s different.

Shiro had taken it upon himself to be Keith’s personal tutor in pop culture reference. Keith had scoffed and declined when Shiro had first said it, and Shiro’s ego had taken a bit of a hit at the rejection, but after some cajoling, and promising Keith that _yes_ he could do his tutorial work, and _yes_ Shiro would answer all of his questions even if he asked them while the movie or show was playing,  Keith agreed.

He’s been steadily working through what Shiro had assured him was essential viewing. They’ve watched The Princess Bride (Good), Star Wars (I don’t get what all the fuss is about?) and they’d started a binge of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (weird, but still enjoyable).

They’d already watched (TMNT? Power Rangers? Essential Viewing?) on the day that Shiro walked up to Keith and slung a friendly arm around Keith’s shoulder.

Despite it being in lunch he knew it was unlikely he’d find Keith in the cafeteria. He knew how Keith would only stay as long as it took to eat - and only that because he wasn’t allowed to take the food from the cafeteria. Instead Shiro went looking for him in the courtyard closest to the hangar - most people avoided it due to the noise, and Shiro was fairly sure that was the reason Keith frequented it. He found Keith sitting at the picnic table, head in a novel- one that wasn’t even curriculum required.

Shiro wastes no time approaching Keith, slipping in beside him, bumping his hip into Keith’s in the process. He waits until Keith slides the bookmark into his book and places it down on the table before he speaks.

When he does break the silence he practically yells at Keith.

“It’s Rex Manning Day!” Shiro exclaims, shoving the DVD into Keith’s hands.

Shiro would never grow tired of the flush that would grace Keith’s features at the casual touches. It wasn’t something that Keith was used to - he didn’t know the story exactly - had heard the rumours of course, but he didn’t listen to them. If Keith ever wanted to tell him about it then Shiro would listen, but till then it was just something he chalked up to ‘ _Keith things’._

“I don't know what that means,” Keith mumbles, inspecting the DVD and turning it over in his hands.

“I figured that,” Shiro says, shooting Keith a smile to let him know it wasn’t a bad thing, and giving his arm a squeeze. “Which is why I'm going to show you.”

Shiro plucks the DVD back from Keith's hands, but holds it in front of them where Keith can still see it. “Come round to my room tonight.”

“I have orienteering tonight.” Shiro thinks Keith actually sounds a little sad at that. Maybe he’s being hopeful, but it seems like maybe his movie nights are growing on Keith.

It seemed like progress.

“You could come by after that?” Shiro offers, hopeful.. “If you want to.”

Keith bit his lip as he thought over the option, and his hand came to fiddle with the hem of his within regulation uniform. Sometimes Shiro would notice the wrinkling of the edges of Keith’s uniform - the otherwise smooth uniform wrinkled from Keith’s touch. It was only minor - not enough that most people would notice, and definitely not enough to have him written up for a uniform deviation.

But Shiro still noticed it.

He notices a lot.

“It wouldn't be until after orienteering, and I'd have to eat and shower. Showers might take a while with everyone queuing up. It wouldn't be till 9 earliest,” Keith points out, his voice already sounding resigned.

“Come straight from orienteering and bring spare clothes. I'll let you into the seniors showers so you can use them - they won't be busy then. I can sort dinner for you too.” The seniors has access to dedicated showers and to the senior common room, complete with a basic kitchen. It wasn't often Shiro made use of the kitchen - it wasn’t really required when meals were provided by the Garrison. Some of the seniors made use of the kitchen - mostly on the weekends, but Shiro was pretty realistic about his mediocre-at-best cooking skills, but he could cook some instant noodles for a good cause.

“You don't have to do that,” Keith protests, his face flushing a deeper red, a red that now extended all the way to the collar of his uniform.

“I want to,” Shiro insists, “unless you don’t want to?”

“No I-” Keith’s eyes dart up to look at Shiro, and Shiro forgets sometimes, how it feels to be pinned under Keith’s gaze. Keith doesn’t waver, doesn’t look away, and it feels like being caught like a deer in the headlights. “I want to.” Keith says eventually.

“It’s a plan then,” Shiro says with a grin. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Tonight,” Keith confirms.

....

Keith arrives closer to 10 than 9, mumbling about cadets who can’t read maps properly, and something about group punishments. Shiro makes instant noodles, cooking up some frozen vegetables and an egg to add to the noodles. He’s ready with two bowls of noodles and the DVD ready to play on his laptop when Keith walks out from the showers, hair still damp and droplets falling from his hair onto the loose shirt he’s wearing. They settle on Shiro’s bed, the laptop propped on Shiro’s lap, and if Keith has to lean into Shiro’s side to see the screen properly, Shiro doesn’t mind.

They finish their noodles quickly, Keith eating like a man starving, and finishing them before the movie’s even really got underway. Shiro eats his own slower, before placing the bowls out of the way on his bedside table, before settling more comfortably back on the bed, sliding down a little now that they don’t have to contend with the bowls. Keith follows suit, leaning in closer as he does so. His body is warm against Shiro’s side, a solid presence that Shiro probably appreciates more than he should. Keith’s head falls against his shoulder about the time that Warren turns up. When he shrugs his shoulder Keith mumbles, but doesn’t react otherwise.

“Keith,” he says softly, trying to check if he’s awake, but not trying to wake him if he’s sleeping. When Shiro repeats himself there’s still no response, and he concludes that Keith has indeed fallen asleep.

Shiro hits the minus key to turn audio down on his laptop, but lets the movie play out still. He’s not feeling tired himself, but then he hasn’t been out orienteering half the night. He’s happy to just sit with Keith, even if Keith is unconscious - and it seems rude to wake him when he probably needs the rest.

The movie finishes with the familiar happy ending for everyone - and when the credit song plays out Shiro powers off the laptop, closing it and gently placing it beneath the bed - trying not to jostle Keith in the process. When he looks down at Keith he’s still asleep, mouth hanging open just a little, and Shiro can hear the sound of his breaths. Moving slowly, trying not to wake Keith, he shifts the arm that Keith is leaning on, sliding it up to wrap  around Keith. He then drags Keith in closer to him, hugging the smaller boy to his chest before he shuffles a little awkwardly down the bed, throwing aside the spare pillows they’d been leaning on so that they can lie down properly.

The movement is too much - Shiro was probably a little optimistic thinking he’d get away with all that - and Keith wakes from the movement.

“Wassat,” Keith mumbles, his body twitching and pulling away from Shiro a little.

Shiro tightens his hold, pulling Keith in tighter to him. “Shhh,” he soothes, “just sleep.”

The words must work - or else Keith is just too tired to object any further. Keith settles back into Shiro’s hold and Shiro waits until Keith’s breathes even out again.

The thought occurs to him while he’s waiting for Keith to fall asleep again. It’s a liberty he knows he shouldn’t take, but Shiro lets himself indulge his desires this time, bending his head to place a gentle kiss against Keith’s hair.

He falls asleep with the smile still on his face.

* * *

 

Shiro walks Keith round the launch pad the day before the Kerberos launch. The team are allowed access, and are allowed to bring their family in as well. He see’s Captain Holt and Matt with their family and he nods at them in lieu of calling out a greeting.

Shiro doesn’t have any immediate family left, the Garrison let him bring Keith along.

It’s the last time he’ll really get to see Keith. They’ll go into lockdown tonight and Keith will just be a speck in the distance at the launch.

It hurts more than Shiro would like to admit.

It’s only 18 months.

It’s _18 months_.

18 months can be a long time.

Keith is quiet, even more withdrawn than usual, though Shiro thinks there are very few people who would notice it. Shiro does though.

Shiro wants to break the silence, do something to ease Keith’s mind. But there’s nothing he can think of, no words that can fill the gap, can mean anything when all that really matters - when the whole reason for this tour- is the fact that Shiro is leaving.

So he doesn’t speak, instead let’s his actions speak for him, reaching for Keith and pulling him into a tight hug, pressing their bodies together. It takes a moment, but then Keith relaxes into the hold, bringing his arms up to wrap around Shiro in return, and his arms around Shiro are every bit as tight.

“I’ll miss you,” Shiro says, the only words he can offer. He’ll be leaving tomorrow, and while he can’t bring himself to be sad about that - he fought so hard for this mission, and it’s everything he’s dreamed of for so long - he is sad about leaving Keith behind. He hadn’t had a Keith when this journey had started - he doesn’t know that it would have made a difference, they’d still probably be here, parting like this, but it still makes a difference _now_. This is a loss he was unprepared to deal with.

They stand there until Shiro feels Keith start to move, not pulling away, but his arms loosen a little, and he shifts his weight, and Shiro knows how to read Keith, knows it’s enough, and he’s never wanted to trap Keith, so he loosens his own arms, letting Keith pull away from the hug, letting him reassert his own personal space.

Shiro takes advantage of the increased distance between them, brushing his lips over Keith’s cheek quickly, before pulling away altogether and dropping his arms from Keith.

“I’ll be back,” he promises, speaking quickly to fill the gap, an attempt to distract from his kiss. “I expect you’ll probably be in fighter jets by then,” he adds with a grin.

Keith ducks his head, his hands coming to hold against the bottom of his uniform again. When his head comes up again he has a grin on his face, even if it doesn’t quite meet his eyes.

“I’m sure I’ll have left your scores in the dust,” Keith says, and Shiro laughs.

“Undoubtedly,” he agrees, before stepping beside Keith and dropping an arm over his shoulders intentionally lazily, “come on, let’s see the rest of the shuttle.”

* * *

 

“Not me,” Keith had said, “when my head hits the pillow I’m going to be lights out.”

Except when Shiro next looks over, Hunk and Lance had already left, and Keith looks like he is already asleep, or close to it, head falling back against the seat.

Shiro takes advantage of Keith’s unconsciousness to simply observe Keith, taking him in as he sits opposite Shiro. He’s grown since Kerberos, grown taller, and he’s looking leaner than Shiro remembers. The muscles he knew so well now even more obvious even underneath his nondescript shirt and his distinctive jacket. His hair is longer, it was always long - only just meeting the Garrison regulations - but it’s even longer now, hair falling into his eyes, and Shiro takes a moment to consider carding his fingers through the strands, pushing it aside to look into Keith’s eyes.

He pushes the thought aside.

He walks over to Keith, leaning a knee against the cushion and resting a hand on Keith’s shoulder.

“Keith,” he says gently, giving the sleeping boy a gentle shake, “come on Keith you need to get to your room, you can sleep there.” He gives another shake of Keith’s shoulder and his eyes fly open, making eye contact with Keith immediately.

“Shiro,” Keith says, and his voice is so warm, so full of affection. Keith looks up at him like he is something good, like he's something to be worshipped and it's too much, Shiro wants to break the eye contact, to look away but when Keith brings his hand up to Shiro’s cheek, he can’t do anything but look down at Keith, to hold the gaze even as it feels like too much.

It feels like time freezes then, like they’re locked in the moment, until Keith moves his thumb, barely an inch, just enough to rub against Shiro’s cheek, brushing against the corner of his mouth.

Shiro doesn’t second guess himself - trusting his instincts like he had earlier in Black - and darts forward closing the space between them to press his own lips to Keith’s.

Shiro feels rather than hears the gasp Keith releases, his lips parting beneath Shiro’s. The way Keith’s lips open, and stay that way calls to Shiro to deepen the kiss, but he resists the urge, keeping the kiss light. He breaks the kiss before he can break his own decision, pulling away a little reluctantly, leaning away from Keith when he does so. When he brings himself to look at Keith again, Keith is blinking up at him, mouth still hanging open in shock.

Shiro resists the urge to kiss those lips again.

“You - you kissed me,” Keith says. Slowly he brings his hand up to his lips to touch them.

The sound shiro releases is hardly a laugh. It sounds foreign to his ears, just a touch on the hysterical side and Keith's hands fall away just enough that they're not touching his lips anymore as he looks at Shiro, concern written on his features.

_That won't do._

Shiro swallows the feeling down, tries to calm himself and takes Keith's hands in his own, dragging them into the space between them.

“I did,” Shiro admits.

Keith’s face is still confused, his brow pulling together at that, and Shiro thinks he’s still half asleep, he could probably have chosen a better time to do this, but he can’t bring himself to regret it, not at all.

“Because I wanted to,” Shiro explains, “and I’d do it again - that is - if you wanted me to.”

It takes a moment for Keith to process the words, Shiro can see when he works out what they mean, and then not a second later Keith almost yells, “yes!”

Shiro manages to hold the laughter in this time. Even a tired and half-asleep Keith wouldn’t appreciate being laughed at.

“Okay. I can do that” Shiro says, and the words feel like a promise, this one he will keep, even though he’s well aware of the promises to Keith he’s been unable to keep in the past.

Keith nods slowly at that, a smile far softer than he’d usually have gracing his features. This close Shiro can see Keith’s eyes are a red and puffy, and Shiro is reminded of his exhaustion.

“Come on,” Shiro says again, “let’s get you to bed.”

Keith nods allowing Shiro to pull him up and to his feet. Shiro loops an arms around Keith’s shoulders and walks him towards the rooms they’ve been given in the Castle of Lions, he goes to walk past his own door - to take Keith to his own allocated room, but Keith stops his movement, suddenly resisting Shiro’s tug and pulling them up short.

When Shiro looks down Keith isn’t looking at him, his face turned down, and Shiro can see Keith’s spare hand twisting at his belt.

Shiro opens his mouth to ask what Keith is doing - or what he’s thinking, but Keith speaks before he gets a chance.

“Can I sleep with you?” Keith blurts out, pausing before carrying on before Shiro could respond, Keith’s words quiet but firm. “I want - I just want to make sure you’re still here when I wake up.”

The words wrench at Shiro, it feels like Keith could have just punched him, the pain is so real in his chest.

“Yeah,” Shiro gasps out. He takes a deep breath, before speaking again, words more under control this time, “yeah of course.”

Shiro lends Keith a pair of the pajamas from the room, and Keith changes into them in front of Shiro. They’d been naked in front of each other before - there’s no reason for that to change now - but Shiro still averts his eyes from Keith’s body when he removes his shirt, turning around to change from his own clothes. When he’s changed Shiro gets into bed, pulling open the sheets for Keith to slip in beside him. Shiro lets the sheet fall down, wrapping his arm around Keith as he does so and pulling him into his chest. This time Shiro lets himself embrace the feeling, lets himself appreciate the feeling of Keith’s body against his own, and he drops his head to rest against Keith’s head.

“Good night,” he murmurs into Keith’s hair.

“G’night,” Keith mumbles the words muffled against Shiro’s skin.

Shiro places the fifth kiss between them against Keith’s hair then, feeling the small tug from Keith’s arms in response - and he can’t help himself from smiling and returning the gesture.

Shiro waits until he feels Keith’s body relax against him, waits until his breathing evens out, and then lets the soft sounds of Keith’s breathes soothe him to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Comments and Kudos give me life  
> Find me at tumblr at [candybarrnerd](http://candybarrnerd.tumblr.com/)


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